Waring Cuney
by A.J. Kinney William Waring Cuney (May 6, 1906 - June 30, 1976) was an African-American poet who made important contributions to the Harlem Renaissance.William Waring Cuney, Gale Contemporary Black Biography (Gale Group 2006), Web, Aug. 27, 2012. Life Cuney was born in Washington, D.C.. As he grew up, he abandoned his 1st name, going by only Waring Cuney. He decided to take up singing, soon after graduating from Howard University, and so attended the New England Conservatory of Music. He was never very successful, and so switched his time to writing. While in Howard University, Waring met Langston Hughes, and they became good friends. Along with a few other people, they became known as the Lincoln University poets, for the university that they later attended. Not too long afterward, Cuney helped Hughes and many other poets publish the failed periodical Fire!! For the only issue, Cuney wrote a poem called "Death Bed." Besides that particular magazine, he appeared in Harlem Quarterly, Negro Quarterly, Crisis, and Black World. In 1941, Cuney started work on a collaboration with Josh White. It was entitled Southern Exposure, and was a collection of songs based on the Cuney's poems. A contemporary called it "the first full-fledged Civil Rights record album" (Waring), and it was one of the earliest recording of blues to be featured in the New York Times. In 1963, Cuney cut off contact to the world, living as a recluse. He did not emerge again until 1970, and only then to comment on a harsh review of his work. Only a few years before his death, a new collection of his works was published, called Storefront Church. After a life filled with a love of poetry, he died on June 30, 1976. Writing According to the Poetry Foundation, Cuney's poem "No Images" "remains a significant representation of the basic philosophy of the Harlem Renaissance and has been widely anthologized and translated; it is Cuney’s most famous poem."William Waring Cuney 1906-1976, Poetry Foundation, Web, Aug. 27, 2012 Recognition At the age of 18, he had already won a contest, the Opportunity contest, with his poem "No Images". Publications Poetry * Four Lincoln University Poets: Waring Cuney, William Allyn Hill, Edward Silvera, Langston Hughes.. Chester County, PA: Lincoln University, 1930. * Puzzles. Utrecht, Netherlands: De Roos, 1960. * Storefront Church. London: P. Breman, 1973. Edited * Lincoln University Poets: Centennial anthology, 1854-1954 (edited with Langston Hughes & Bruce Wright). New York: Fine Editions Press, 1954. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Waring Cuney, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June 20, 2014. See also *Poets of the Harlem Renaissance * List of U.S. poets References Notes External links ;Poems *William Waring Cuney 1906-1976 at the Poetry Foundation ;Books *William Waring Cuney 1906-1976 at Amazon.com ;About *William Waring Cuney in Gale Contemporary Black Biography. *Brian Gilmore on Waring Cuney, Beltway Quarterly. This article uses Creative Commons licensed content from the Harlem Renaissance Wiki. Original article is at William Waring Cuney: a star among African-American poets Category:1906 births Category:1976 deaths Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:African American poets Category:Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni Category:20th-century poets Category:American poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Harlem Renaissance poets